EUReCA! Student Assistant in Environmental Toxicology at University of Colorado Denver

EUReCA! Student Assistant in Environmental Toxicology

The EURēCA! Student Assistants Program provides introductory opportunities for CU Denver undergraduates to engage in research and creative activities.

Employer/Dept: University of Colorado Denver Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

Supervisor: Alan Vajda, Ph.D.

Job Title: EURēCA! Student Assistant in Environmental Toxicology

Job Location: CU Denver Department of Biology/ This position is for on-campus only.

Purpose: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants that occur in groundwater and may accumulate in aquatic organisms. The broader project uses on-site, continuous-flow mobile laboratories to expose fathead minnows to reference groundwater and PFAS-contaminated groundwater from a legacy fire-training area at Joint Base Cape Cod. The study evaluates how PFAS mixture composition and concentration influence chemical uptake and biological responses.

Fish were exposed under controlled conditions, and liver samples were collected for complementary analyses including histopathology, transcriptomics, and lipidomics. Together, these measurements will help determine whether microscopic changes in liver structure are associated with PFAS exposure, internal PFAS burdens, and molecular responses.

The undergraduate researcher will lead the laboratory histology component of this broader investigation. The student will prepare preserved liver tissues for microscopic evaluation through tissue clearing, paraffin embedding, sectioning, staining, and slide preparation. After receiving training in fish liver anatomy and histopathology, the student will evaluate slides microscopically and score predefined histopathological criteria using a standardized and blinded approach. The student will then organize and quality-check the resulting data, compare lesion prevalence and severity among exposure groups, conduct appropriate statistical analyses, and interpret the findings in the context of PFAS concentration and mixture composition.

This project is part of a larger interdisciplinary collaboration involving investigators, research staff, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers from the University of Colorado Denver, the U.S. Geological Survey, and collaborating laboratories. Undergraduate researchers make distinct contributions to the overall project while receiving close mentorship from the principal investigator and more experienced laboratory members. The student will be responsible for an identifiable dataset and will participate in regular discussions concerning experimental design, quality assurance, data interpretation, and scientific communication.

The project will culminate in preparation and presentation of the student’s findings at the University of Colorado Denver Research and Creative Activities Symposium (RACAS).

Position

Description:

The undergraduate research assistant will investigate liver histopathology in fathead minnows exposed to PFAS-contaminated groundwater from a legacy fire-training area. The student will participate in all stages of the histological investigation, including tissue clearing, paraffin embedding, sectioning, staining, slide preparation, microscopic evaluation, and standardized scoring of liver histopathology. The student will organize and analyze the resulting data, compare responses among exposure groups, and interpret findings in the context of PFAS mixture composition and concentration.

The student will work closely with the principal investigator and other laboratory members while developing skills in histological methods, microscopy, quantitative data analysis, and scientific communication. The project will culminate in preparation and presentation of the findings at the University of Colorado Denver Research and Creative Activities Symposium (RACAS).

Duties and Responsibilities:

Duties will include preparing preserved fish liver samples for histological analysis through tissue clearing, paraffin embedding, microtome sectioning, staining, and slide preparation. The student will conduct microscopic evaluations, apply standardized histopathological criteria, document observations, and participate in quality-control review of tissue sections and scoring. Additional responsibilities will include maintaining organized sample and data records, conducting focused literature searches, entering and analyzing histopathology data, preparing figures and tables, and interpreting responses across PFAS exposure groups.

These activities support the broader project goal of determining whether PFAS mixture composition and concentration are associated with changes in liver structure and function. The student will discuss progress and results with the principal investigator and laboratory team and will prepare a scientific poster and presentation for RACAS.

Skills and Knowledge Gained:

The student will gain practical experience applying concepts from biology, anatomy, toxicology, and…